My first involvement in a cappella was during my freshman year at Columbia, as a founding member of the mixed group Nonsequitur. The first arrangement I ever wrote was also the group's first new arrangement, and I contributed around 20 more during my four-year tenure. I also served as the group's business manager, treasurer and webmaster.

After college, I helped bring my a cappella knowledge back to my hometown of Ridgewood, NJ, by volunteering as a music coach for Jamboree, an annual scholarship fundraiser performance put on by parents of high school students. For three consecutive years I prepared and taught a cappella arrangements for nine singers to perform on stage as part of the show.

In 2009, I was featured in a documentary about collegiate a cappella, "Sounds Good To Me", in a segment discussing my arranging process and philosophy. In August 2010, I joined the Recorded A Cappella Review Board (RARB) as a reviewer and have had twenty-one reviews published to date. In June 2011, I took over as RARB's Technical Director, and to this day I make a point of listening to every single CD that comes in the mail.

When did you first become involved with CASA?

I have known about CASA since college, but this is my first time being actively involved with the organization.

What geographical area do you cover as a CASA ambassador?

Virginia (minus the DC metro area)

What role do you play as a CASA ambassador and/or what role would you like to play?

I will be working closely with Jeeves Murphy to extend the AcaEmbassy into Virginia proper, while also building a community of Virginia-based groups at all levels.

For collegiate groups specifically, a big part of this effort will be to help those groups break out of their campus bubbles and participate more actively in the broader a cappella world. The rise of YouTube and social media in recent years has made this easier, but many groups still remain insulated to varying degrees. I want to show these groups that they have a fan base outside of their campuses, get them using the technology at their disposal to connect with those fans, and help them succeed through connections with other local groups and CASA's extensive resources (both online and "IRL").

What do you do for work and play?

For work, I am an account manager at TriTek Solutions, a small technology consulting firm specializing in large-scale document management systems. In addition to supervising several ongoing projects in the New York area, I create technical design specs and assist in product demonstrations and proofs-of-concept as needed.

For play, I enjoy skiing (both downhill and cross-country) and crossword puzzles. I also spend a lot of time listening to a cappella, tossing around arrangement ideas, and working on new designs for the RARB website.

Tell us one thing about yourself people would be surprised to learn

I compete in crossword puzzle tournaments, both regionally and nationally, and I have a trophy from one of them.

Favorite a cappella group?

Too many to choose just one. I've heard it all, so any group that can give me something new gets my seal of approval.

Favorite type of music?

I listen to pretty much everything aside from rap and metal -- and anything if it's done a cappella -- but I have special places in my heart for singer/songwriters, pianists (especially Ben Folds and Bruce Hornsby), and Broadway (especially Stephen Sondheim).

Favorite a cappella concert?

The Professional Showcase at SoJam 2011. Everything you've heard is true.

Anything you'd like the CASA readership to know about your area?

Virginia's a big state with a lot of great talent, and I see great things ahead for us.